


Appreciation

by babycore



Series: My Upperclassman [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Hope's Peak Academy, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:54:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23529478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babycore/pseuds/babycore
Summary: Makoto gets some much needed praise from his upperclassman.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime & Naegi Makoto, Hinata Hajime/Naegi Makoto
Series: My Upperclassman [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1704034
Comments: 8
Kudos: 108





	Appreciation

**Author's Note:**

> hi! no triggers that need to be tagged i believe, nothing particularly intense either. besides makoto having self-doubt, no angst. mostly canon compliant. although it's tagged makoto/hajime nothing really romantic happens besides makoto having a crush. pre-despair. also not proof read so i apologize for mistakes!
> 
> enjoy!

Everyone was seriously so amazing at Hope's Peak Academy, it made Makoto feel a little overwhelmed sometimes.

It wasn't a bad thing, not by any means! His classmates, for example, were so interested and cool and talented! He wanted to support all of them, and watch all of them achieve their dreams. From Sayaka becoming a super famous idol, to Byakuya working hard as a company heir, to even Celes gambling to get money to live out her French bourgeois dream life. He wanted to see all of them succeed and thrive.

There was the occasional moment where he felt a little jealous. It was justified, certainly; after all, his classmates were incredibly amazing individuals who had bright futures ahead of them, while Makoto felt like there was nothing special about him. He figured that after he left Hope's Peak, he'd be a forgotten face. He wanted to believe his classmates wouldn't forget about him; they were his friends! They could never forget about him, right? But on the other hand, with the extraordinary lives they were destined to lead, it felt likely to Makoto that one day, he'd be a distant, faded memory in the back of their minds.

This jealousy rarely lasted long. Makoto wasn't really an envious person; at least, he tried not to be. He was a positive presence in the life of his classmates. They needed him, that much he knew for sure. Not only were they still teenagers who had to deal with the trifles of being a teenager, but they were Ultimate students. They had to deal with the pressure everyone put on them. Society, the school, their families, their friends, themselves. And that is a lot of pressure, Makoto knew. He spent a lot of time being his classmates' number one supporter while also trying to put as little pressure on all of them as he could. He'd still love Touko, for example, even if she never sold a book again. He hoped that she knew that, that they all knew that. He cared about them, talented or not.

It did get a little draining sometimes, though. Not his friends, of course! Not them at all. But the feeling of being lesser than his friends that burnt in the back of his mind, whether he wanted it to or not. No matter how much he ignored the feeling, it was always there. He always pushed through it, forced up a smile and did his best for everyone while simultaneously purposefully ignoring his own feelings. But there got to be times where he really couldn't do it anymore. And at those times, Makoto didn't really feel like he could turn to anyone; not because he didn't have anyone to turn to, but because he didn't want to burden his friends, the people he was dedicating his time at Hope's Peak to support. It just made him feel selfish.

Like always, he powered through his day, trying to seem okay as he hurried to his dorm from his last class, trying to get alone and get a shower in before anyone tried to talk to him or tried to hang out. He loved his friends so very much, but he needed an hour or so of recharge time.

Unfortunately, he was stopped as he was unlocking his dorm room, but fortunately, it was somebody who understood his situation better than almost anyone else in the school: Hajime. Other than himself and Hajime, there were only a couple of people who understood how shitty it felt to be surrounded by amazing people your age and to not only feel painfully average, but painfully lacking. It was hard to not feel like you've accomplished nothing when surrounded by people not much older than you, who have accomplished everything.

"Naegi," Hajime greeted with a slight smile, raising his hand in a wave.

"Hinata-senpai!" Makoto exclaimed, startled by the sudden greeting. "Ah, sorry, I didn't see you there... what are you doing in the dorm area?" It wasn't often that Hajime went right to the dorms after classes.

"I had to return Komaeda's textbook," Hajime said, laughing somewhat bitterly. "He lost it, and I found it for him. Except with his weird luck thing, he apparently had forty of them by the time I brought it to him."

Makoto laughed a little. "Geez... Komaeda-senpai's luck is seriously inexplicable, huh?"

Hajime nodded, scoffing. "No kidding... But, hey, Naegi?"

"Yes?" Makoto asked, head cocking the slightest bit.

Hajime began walking by, reaching over and patting Makoto on the head. "You're doing good. I'm sure you don't get told that enough, but I see the way you act as the quiet leader of your class. I'm proud of you."

Before Makoto could say anything, or even thank Hajime for the compliment, the upperclassman was already down the hall. He felt a slight burn to his cheeks and entered his room, quickly closing the door behind him.

Hajime had complimented him... his upperclassman, the person he looked up to for the same reason he was complimented... it felt good.

Even as Makoto settled after a long day of classes and started his shower, he couldn't stop thinking about Hajime and what he had said, and he couldn't stop smiling, couldn't think about anything other than how he could repay the older student for the much needed validation and encouragement. And without realizing, the tiny flutter of a developing crush spread warmth in his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! let me know if you want more hajime/makoto! they're cute lol
> 
> UPDATE: for everyone who liked this, part 2 is out now!


End file.
